European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 26, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Literacy la forces Navy to school recruits by Nora Zamichow los Angeles times sixteen years ago a machinist s mate aboard a san Diego based aircraft Carrier was assigned to repair a Generator. When the repair was completed the Generator was started and it immediately burned up. An investigation showed that the machinists mate had carefully followed the photographs in the repair manual. But one step lacked pictures and the Man inadvertently put the Piston sleeves in upside Down because he could not read the text. The incident served As a poignant warning to Navy officials about the hazards posed by illiteracy a problem the Navy has attempted to tackle for years. Today about one fourth of new recruits perform academically at less than the ninth Grade level and Navy officials expect the numbers to climb a a fact that forces the Navy into the role of schoo marm. With a shrinking Pool of recruits to choose from and increasingly technical equipment that demands adequate Reading skills to maintain the Navy is feeling the illiteracy problem More acutely than Ever. A High school diploma does t guarantee literacy in the United states military recruiters find. Quot a number of years ago if somebody said he had a High school diploma you assumed he could multiply add subtract and read. Those assumptions Are not Good anymore Quot said capt. Robert p. Mcclendon jr., commanding officer of recruit training come at san Diego s naval training Center which annually graduates about 28,000 enlistees. Quot today you get a kid who May have a degree but what he knows is anybody a  and after last year when the toll of those killed during training and Standard operations numbered More than 100 Navy personnel a the highest in the decade a officials have launched a safety Campaign that emphasizes the basics including Reading. Quot look at the sophisticated weapon system a you put a reduction gear in upside Down and you re talking about millions of dollars in damage. You read safety instructions wrong and you la electrocute yourself and others Quot said William Maloy director of instructional development with naval education and training come in Washington. A we be got to be Able to depend on people to read and not fake  air Force manuals traditionally have been written at the ninth Grade level which is the average required minimum Reading level for recruits. Most Navy repair and training manuals Are written for people who can read at least at the 10th-Grade level the average education level of their enlistees. To help recruits whose Reading abilities prevent them from understanding those manuals Navy officials have set up programs to combat a problem that Only seems to grow. Michael Hogan a 20-year-old resident of West Valley City Utah graduated from High school two years ago. During his four years in High school Hogan said he read one Book. It was a Book for his Sophomore English class and Hogan said he could no longer remember the title. Quot school nowadays is not school Quot Hogan said. It s a social  last year 1,200 recruits who read at sixth Grade level or lower were enrolled in a special program at san Diego s naval training Center this year officials expect 2,000 a or about 11 percent of incoming recruits. And they expect to see these numbers continue to increase As More and More recruits arrive who cannot read. San Diego is one of three locations in the United states to offer the fundamental applied skills training program that improves recruits Reading skills. In this program about 95 percent of the student recruits Are High school graduates who read at sixth Grade level or lower said senior chief Petty officer Oliver Brown the division officer in charge of the fast program. The average recruit enrolled in the program advances two Grade Levels Brown said. Each new enlisted usually about 20 years old costs the Navy $75 a Day for the program. For about one fourth of the pupils English is not their native language. Along with the abcs they learn acronyms such As sopa senior officer present afloat Poow Petty officer of the watch and pms planned maintenance system. And their vocabulary lessons Range from Quot Man Euver Quot to Quot Monkey fist Quot a knot from Quot Chow Quot to Quot dog Quot a Latch. When Joseph Quot Jojo Quot Quintana first arrived at the program he was Able to read about 130 words a minute a about two words a second. Today he has boosted that to 300 words a minute. Quintana a High school graduate Slid by in the civilian world without being Able to read until he joined the Navy and showed up for Boot Camp. Before he was allowed to go through eight weeks of Basic training he was sent to a three week Reading program. For him not being Able to read posed problems when he had worked As a to Cable installer. One Day Quintana could t make any sense of the instruction Sheet for installing cables that his Boss had handed him. He was too embarrassed to admit it and got another worker to Tell him what it said. Quot i have had a problem Reading Ever since i was Small. I used to daydream in school and i got by Quot said Quintana a Chicago native. Quot but now i see what i was  about 23 million adults in the United states Are illiterate. Studies show that 15 percent of the . Work Force is functionally illiterate. And business As Well As the military is trying to Battle the problem. In 1988, private corporations spent $25 billion on employee Reading and writing programs. And for the military the problem is heightened because Many youths enlist rather than attend school. Mcclendon and others consider the fast program a Success in its efforts to help recruits catch up. For enlistees the Reading program is usually a rude Shock. When they sign up for Boot Camp they believe they Are about to enter the eight week program designed to build Muscles and stamina. They Don t realize that if they can to read they will first be sent to an intensive remedial education program that can take from one to five weeks. Antonio Atkins a 21-year-old Sweetwater Texas native signed up for Boot Camp and Learned that he was Able to read at the seventh Grade level. Since English was his favorite subject in High school that came As a Surprise. Quot i thought i was Reading a lot higher than that. It had me Down at first Quot Atkins said. Quot usually i can read everything i  one fourth of Navy recruits perform academically below ninth Grade level the number is expected to Rise. Not saturday May 26, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 17